Reviews – SX National

Showbags at the Greyhound

We were thrilled to appear in a national magazine for the first time. SX National featured us on a ‘must do in Melbourne’ article. 

The Showbags (Saturday’s, Greyhound Hotel, 1 Brighton Rd, St Kilda

WHILE THE REST of St Kilda became respectable, one corner pub stayed true to the suburb’s red-light past – and so did its entertainment. On a Saturday Night head to the Greyhound Hotel in St Kilda to check out drag troupe dujour, The Showbags, who recently picked up a Pride Award for their twisted performances. The Showbags themselves might hail from the feathers-and-boa school of drag, but their dance routines certainly don’t. In fact, synchroised choreography is something of a mystery to The Showbags, whose routines contain the kind of studied disarray that most other drag queens can only snipe at. Melbourne has never seen a more incongruous troupe: the trio comprises self-confessed “late bloomer” Miss Amanda Monroe, Melbourne’s own Vegas-style showgirl, the glamorous Vivien St James (not pictured sorry Viv,) and the pugnacious Jessica James. With just a touch of burlesque, this is home-grown drag at its best. A must see for the out-of-towner.

(Vivien had just joined us and we had no professional photos for publication, and so photoshop gave them an eye-catching image at least)

Showbags Review